A Detailed Explanation of Gynecomastia
What is Gynecomastia?
Definition
Gynecomastia is a common disease of the male breast where there is a benign glandular enlargement of that breast at some time in the male's life. It usually consists of the appearance of a flat pad of glandular tissue beneath a nipple which becomes tender at the same time. The development may be unilateral or bilateral. There is rarely a continued growth of the breast tissue; ordinarily the process is of brief duration and stops short of the production of permanent enlargement of the breast.
Causes
A great number of patients who suffer from this disease have a disturbance in the proper ratio of androgen and estrogen levels. The normal ratio of ...
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disease. It was once believed that there was an imbalance in the ratios of testosterone to estrogen or estradiol, but this is now know to be untrue.
There are three areas the can be attributed to the cause of gynecomastia: physiologic, pathologic and pharmacologic. "Enlargement of the male breast can be a normal physiologic phenomenon at certain stages of life or the result of several pathologic states."(Isselbacher, 2037)
In the case of physiologic gynecomastia the disease can occur in a newborn baby, at puberty or at any time in a man's life. In the newborn, transient enlargement of the breast is due to the action of maternal and/or placental estrogens. The enlargement usually disappears within a few weeks. Adolescent gynecomastia is common during puberty with the onset at the median age of 14. It is often asymmetrical and frequently tender. It regresses so that by the age of 20 only a small number of men have palpable vestiges of gynecomastia in one or both the breasts. ...
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animals."(Isselbacher, 2038) Some examples of drugs that may have cause gynecomastia include Cannabinoids (methane and marijuana), Psychotropics (pheno-thiazine, butyrophenone and reserpine), Antihypertensives (reserpine, alpha-methyldopa and spironolactone), Cardiac (digitalis), Gastrointestinal (cimetidine, metoclopramide and domperidone), Antituburculous (isoniazid), Cytoxic (cyclophospha-mide, mustine, vincristine and mitotane) and Hormonal (sex steroids, gonadotropins and antiandrogens). Use of these drugs, however, will rarely cause gynecomastia. In some instances, the feminization is due to effects of drugs on liver functions.
Signs and Symptoms
There are very ...
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A Detailed Explanation of Gynecomastia. (2011, March 19). Retrieved March 24, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/A-Detailed-Explanation-of-Gynecomastia/96331
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"A Detailed Explanation of Gynecomastia." Essayworld.com. March 19, 2011. Accessed March 24, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/A-Detailed-Explanation-of-Gynecomastia/96331.
"A Detailed Explanation of Gynecomastia." Essayworld.com. March 19, 2011. Accessed March 24, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/A-Detailed-Explanation-of-Gynecomastia/96331.
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